Mandrel assembly for seal applying machine



June 6, 1961 A. SALZWEDEL MANDREL ASSEMBLY FOR SEAL APPLYING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1. 1959 FIG. 3.

IN VEN TOR. ARDEN JL. SALZWEJJEL CAM Sm W'i'fornegs Unite 1 This invention relates to a mandrel assembly for a seal applying machine, and more particularly to a unique mandrel assembly structure for picking up, opening and applying initially flat-folded, regenerated cellulose seals to containers, such as bottle tops and the like.

The invention contemplates a novel concept of seal transfer and utilizes a split finger or spear in conjunction with a seal carrying mandrel. Stripping means is also provided to remove the seal from the mandrel to a bottle.

The mandrel assembly may be utilized in a machine such as that disclosed in the copending applications of William Barton Eddison and Warren E. Erickson, Serial Nos. 803,406 and 803,402, filed on even date herewith and entitled respectively, Machine for Handling Containers and Apparatus for Applying Seals to Containers. These copending applications are assigned to a common assignee.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the mandrel assembly with a portion broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2. is a front elevation of the assembly with the mandrel down and with parts broken away and in section, and showing the actuating mechanism and stripper in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a left side elevation of the assembly with parts broken away and in section, and showing a spear control finger in phantom; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the assembly.

As shown in the drawings, the mandrel assembly comprises a yoke 1 having a plurality of downwardly extending arms which are pivotally mounted to the upper end portion of a housing 2. Housing 2 is preferably of solid cast construction, and is provided with a relatively large vertically extending slot 3 which extends the full length of housing 2 and opens the housing along one vertical edge. A seal receiving mandrel 4 is centrally mounted at the lower end of housing 2 and extends downwardly therefrom. Mandrel 4 is generally circular in section and of a fixed outside diameter corresponding to that of an opened seal.

It is desirable to reduce the friction forces created by sliding of a seal on the mandrel. For this purpose, the outer surface of the latter is provided with a plurality of vertical serrations or grooves 5 to reduce the area of contact.

Slot 3 is provided with an extension 6 which passes downwardly the full length of the mandrel and, in effect, splits it into two spaced, bifurcated segmental halves.

The apparatus is adapted to receive and open a seal from a seal magazine. For this purpose, a finger assembly 7 is disposed in slots 3 and 6 and extends outwardly from the respective ends thereof. The rear side of housing 2 adjacent slot 3 is provided with a pair of opposed facing guide members 8 which are adapted to slide in vertical track grooves 9 in assembly 7. For purposes of safety, upper movement of housing 2 relative to assembly 7 is limited by a stop 10 attached to the upper end of the assembly.

For purposes of seal pickup, a spear 11 extends downates atent O ice wardly from the assembly 7. Spear '11 is shown as being receivable within slot 6 when housing 2 is in its lower position. The spear has a generally flat vertical outer face 12 and a downwardly inclined inner face 13 to provide a downwardly tapering section.

When housing 2 is down, spear 11 is disposed entirely within slot 6 and flat face 12 joins a pair of opposed vertical edges of the segments of mandrel 4.

The lower end of spear 11 is sharply pointed along its width to facilitate insertion thereof into an initially flattened seal.

Cooperating with spear 11 is a tapered finger member 14 which is also receivable within slot 6 and which is pivoted adjacent its upper end to assembly 7 by a pivot ring 15. Finger 14 is disposed generally parallel to spear 11, and is constantly biased away from the spear by a spring '16 disposed in assembly 7.

Outward pivoting of finger 14 beyond the vertical edge of slot 6, opposite spear 11, is prevented by the stop face 17 of an arm 18 which extends from adjacent the lower end of a track groove 9 to the opposite side of mandrel 4. Face 17 is provided with a set-back face portion 19 which extends downwardly therefrom and generally parallel to finger 14, for purposes to be described. For safety purposes, arm 18 provides a stop for downward movement of housing 2.

The apparatus of the invention also includes a seal stripping mechanism. For this purpose, a pair of stripper rods 20 are mounted for vertical sliding movement in bushings 21 disposed in flanged portions of housing 2. A seal stripping member 22 is secured to the lower end of each rod 20 below lowermost bushings 21. Each member 22 has a concave face 23 which extends closely around the outer periphery of the respective adjacent mandrel segment.

The upper ends of stripper rods 20 are joined by a suitable retaining plate 24 mounted thereon. Plate 24 also secures the upper end of a vertical rod 25 which serves as the central support for a spring 26 extending downwardly from the plate and to the bottom of a tubular spring well 27 mounted in housing 2. Spring 26 normally biases plate 24, rods 20 and members 22 to an upward position relative to the housing so that members 22 are normally at the base of mandrel 4. Contact of members 22 with the bottom face of housing 2 limits the upward extent of the stripping mechanism due to spring 26.

The entire apparatus described above may be fixedly mounted, via a mounting plate 28 on assembly 7, to a rotatable column shown in'phantom in FIG. 4 at 29. Column 29 and other apparatus described hereinafter and shown in fragmentary manner may form part of a machine for applying seals to capped bottles, such as that shown in the above-identified copending applications.

For purposes of use with such a machine, yoke 1 is provided with an upper arm 30 which carries one end of a connecting rod 31 in a suitable self-aligning bearing 32. The other end of rod 31 is fixedly secured in a slot in the end of a rocker arm 33 by a stud 34 extending therethrough. Rocker arm 33 operates to move housing 2 up and down relative to finger assembly 7 by means of a circular cam 35 which the rocker arm follows.

In addition, spring biased finger 14 is pivoted inwardly to contact spear 11 by a finger 36 which is pivotally actuated in a timed manner by the machine to engage finger 14. A horizontal shoulder 37 is formed adjacent the lower end of spear 11 so that as finger 14 contacts.

face 13, the finger and spear merge into a single spearlike seal pick-up member with no obstructions to receipt of a seal thereon.

The seal strippers 22 are moved downwardly relative to housing 2 by a roller 38 mounted on an arm 39 which is pivoted vertically by the machine at the proper time in the sequence of operation. If desired, a wear plate '40 may be secured to the upper face of retaining plate 24 for contact by roller 38.

To hold a seal on the apparatus, vacuum is provided to grooves 41 and 42 in faces 12 and 19 respectively. The vacuum is supplied from a pump on the machine, not shown, through certain timing valves and through a passage 43 in plate 28 and assembly 7 which communicates through spear 11 and arm 18 to the grooves.

As mounted on the machine of the above-identified copending applications, the apparatus of the present invention operates as follows.

As the seal pickup position of the apparatus is approached, cam 35 causes yoke 1 to slide housing 2 upwardly so that spear 11 and finger 14 are exposed and substantially below the lower end of mandrel 4. Finger 14 is biased against spear 11 by finger 36 to form a unitary split finger assembly, as shown in phantom in FIG. 3. A generally flat folded seal 44 is then pushed up over the split finger asembly by a pickoff plate 45 operated in conjunction with a seal magazine, not shown. The thickness of the closed split finger assembly slightly separates the opposed walls of the folded seal.

The seal is then opened to generally circular configuration aproaching the outside diameter of the mandrel by withdrawal of finger 36, permitting finger 14 to biasingly withdraw from spear 11. Vacuum is then applied to groove 41 and 42 to hold the opened seal firmly.

As the apparatus moves to the seal stripping position, cam 35 causes yoke 1 to lower housing 2, thus pushing mandrel 4 downwardly into the vacuum-held opened seal 44, where the seal takes on a more nearly circular shape. Spear 11 and finger 14 are now disposed wholly within the mandrel slot. The lower end of mandrel 4 is chamfered at 46 to assist seal 44 in moving onto the mandrel.

The apparatus is now at the seal applying position. Vacuum at grooves 41 and 42 is cut off, and roller 38 pushes retaining plate 24 and stripper members 22 downwardly to push the seal ed the mandrel onto a bottle top.

Subsequently, roller 38 raises to permit rods 20 to rise under the biasing force of spring 26.

The apparatus of the invention utilizes a novel concept of seal pickup, opening and applying. The split mandrel receives a seal by enveloping the selectively separable split finger assembly to provide an exceedingly simple structure which has been found to be highly accurate and fast operating.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

I claim:

1. For use with a machine for applying seals to capped bottles or the like, a mandrel assembly comprising, a support, a plurality of spaced segmental members forming a seal receiving mandrel and slidable on said support, a split finger assembly receivable between said segmental members and closeable into a substantially single spear for receiving a generally flat seal thereon, said split finger assembly being openable into at least two portions to open a seal applied thereto, and means to strip a seal from said mandrel after the mandrel has received the open seal and upon withdrawal of the split finger assembly thereinto.

2. In a seal handling assembly, a mandrel member having a plurality of spaced segments, and a split finger member, one of said members being slidable relative to the other, said split finger member being disposed between said segments and selectively closable to receive a seal and openable to open the seal for application of the seal to the mandrel member upon relative sliding movement between the said members.

3. In a seal handling assembly, a support member, a generally circular mandrel member formed of a pair of spaced segments having a slot therebetween, one of said members being slidable relative to the other, a spear fixedly secured to said support member, and a finger pivotally mounted to said support member and normally biased away from said spear but pivotable into engagement with said spear to form a single seal pickup assembly, said spear and said finger being withdrawable into said slot during relative sliding of one of the members to force a seal from the said pickup assembly onto said mandrel.

4. The seal handling assembly of claim 3 in which said spear is provided with a vacuum passage whereby, upon application of vacuum, a seal is firmly held to the spear.

S. The seal handling assembly of claim 3 which includes stop means on said support member to prevent biasing of said finger outwardly beyond a pair of adjacent edges of said slot.

6. The seal handling assembly of claim 5 in which said stop means comprises an arm on said support member with said arm having a stop face disposed adjacent the mandrel member opposite said spear, said arm having a second face set back from said stop face, said spear and second face having vacuum grooves therein whereby, upon application of vacuum, a seal is firmly held to said spear and arm.

7. The seal handling apparatus of claim 3 in which said spear and finger are generally tapered toward their ends, and said spear has a shoulder thereon disposed so that when said finger is in engagement with the spear there will be no obstruction to passage of a seal thereover.

8. The seal handling assembly of claim 3 which includes stripper means on said mandrel member to remove a seal from the latter, and means biasing said stripper means to a normal position at the base of said mandrel.

9. A seal handling assembly comprising, a housing member having a first slot extending therethrough, a support member at least partially disposed in said first slot, one of said members being slidable relative to the other member, a generally circular mandrel extending from one end of said housing member with said mandrel providing a pair of spaced segments forming a second slot extending from said first slot, a spear fixedly secured to said support member and extending generally parallel to said mandrel, a finger pivotally mounted to said support member, said spear and finger being withdrawable into said second slot upon relative sliding of said members, an arm secured to said support member and having a portion disposed adjacent said mandrel opposite the spear, and spring means normally biasing said finger away from said spear and into engagement with the said portion of said arm.

10. The seal handling assembly of claim 9 which includes stripper means to remove a seal from the end of said mandrel.

11. The seal handling assembly of claim 12 in which said stripper means comprises, a plurality of stripper rods slideable along said housing member, a strip member on one end of each said rod with each said strip member extending closely around the periphery of said mandrel, a retaining plate joining the other ends of said rods, and a spring mounted in said housing member and disposed to bias said retaining plate to a non-stripping position.

12. In a seal handling assembly, a plurality of spaced segmental members forming a seal receiving mandrel, and a split finger assembly disposed between said members and selectively closable to receive a seal and openable to open the seal; said split finger assembly comprising a fixed spear, a pivoted finger mounted for closing engagement with the spear, and means for biasing said pivoted finger away from said spear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,458 Allen Dec. 25, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent NO. 2,986,860 June 6, 1961 Arden L. Salzwedel It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below Column 4, line 56, for the claim reference numeral 12" read 1O Signed and sealed this 14th day of November 1961.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L. LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCOMM-DC 

